Balancing The Nuances Of Threat Exposure Management

 Exposure: The New Frontier in Cyber security 

In the world of cyber security, there’s a changing fashion that’s becoming hard to ignore: exposure is the new black. It’s not vulnerabilities, threats, or security gaps that are dictating the pace; it’s all about exposures.

But what does this mean for organizations striving to protect their assets? It’s about understanding and discovery, and it’s about the meticulous scoping of the entire organization to ascertain what truly needs safeguarding. Once we’ve wrapped our heads around the extent of our exposures, it’s critical to validate and prioritize what requires protection. 

The Challenge of Remediation 

Many top-tier vendors are actively involved in the first part of this equation, providing Breach and Attack Simulation (BAS) tools, and other solutions to identify exposures. However, a gap becomes evident when we shift our focus from identification to action – the remediation phase.

It’s not just about who identifies the exposures but also about who mobilizes the resources to address them. Who will take charge of the remediation? How will they accomplish it without throwing a wrench in the daily operations of the business? 

Enter Gartner’s Cyber security Threat Exposure Management (CTEM). It’s all about improving security measures around what should be protected, and assessing how well your existing security tools are fending off risks. Yet, it’s the delegation of the relevant remediation flow that is often left in the shadows, which is exactly where clarity is needed the most.

Lengthy approval cycles have traditionally been accepted as part of the remediation process, often under the guise of minimizing business disruption. Yet, in reality, these approval cycles are not a prerequisite for ensuring operational continuity. They reflect a quest for that elusive certainty, a desire to end the day with the business unscathed.

Break the Cycle of Exposure Remediation 

It’s the sigh of relief that comes with “I managed to survive another day without breaking the business.” This cautious dance around decision-making is understandable but unnecessary with the right tools at your disposal. 

It’s a common practice: identify, alert, repeat. But what’s not so common is the actual handling of the remediation. Taking action is the magic step many forget. And when action is taken, it’s crucial to ensure that remediation doesn’t generate a host of false positives that could cause additional friction or operational issues within the business. 

 False positives are the wolves in sheep’s clothing of cyber security; they look like threats but are actually innocuous. They not only waste time and resources but can also lead to complacency – the boy who cried wolf syndrome. If teams are constantly chasing down false alarms, they may become slower to react to real threats. Therefore, the resolution of issues must be precise, avoiding the creation of these deceptive distractions. 

Simply cataloguing and processing vulnerabilities doesn’t equate to a lower risk profile. It’s a static approach to a dynamic problem. True exposure management means not only understanding where you are vulnerable but also having the means to quickly and effectively address those vulnerabilities.  

Veriti: Reimagining Remediation 

Here is where Veriti distinguishes itself. At Veriti, we are revolutionizing the exposure management landscape.

We don’t just automate the analysis of risk across all your tools; we integrate and cross-correlate them. This means that with Veriti, you’re not just informed about potential threats – you’re given the power to remediate them with the simple click of a button. But it’s not just about automation; it’s about intelligent automation that ensures remediation is efficient, accurate, and, most importantly, verified for zero business disruption. 

In the current cyber climate, exposure management is akin to a complex chess game where every piece’s move must be calculated with precision. A reactive stance is no longer sufficient. Proactive exposure management is the key, and it’s a multifaceted approach that requires constant vigilance. It’s about staying one step ahead, predicting where the next threat may come from, and having a solution in place before it even arises.  

At the core of Veriti’s philosophy is the belief that the remediation of exposures should not be a disruptive process that slows down business operations. Instead, it should be a seamless, integrated part of your day-to-day activities. This is achieved through our advanced algorithms that can discern the severity and legitimacy of each exposure, ensuring that remediation efforts are targeted and precise. 

The magic in Veriti’s approach lies in our commitment to taking action. In the cyber security realm, many speak of exposures; few take the necessary steps to address them. We understand that the identification of exposures is merely the first step. The real work begins with the remediation process – a process that Veriti has refined to near perfection. 

Mastering Exposure Management with Veriti 

Our approach to remediation is holistic. It does not stop at the mere deployment of patches or updates; it extends to ensuring that these actions do not give rise to additional vulnerabilities. Our system is designed to predict the ripple effects of any given remediation action, assessing potential impacts and adjusting accordingly to ensure that the operation of business functions remains uninterrupted.  

This is the Veriti difference. We provide a platform that not only shines a light on your exposures but also gives you the tools to close them effectively and efficiently. It is a platform that understands the delicate balance between security and business continuity. With Veriti, remediation is not a disruptive event but a powerful affirmation of your business’s resilience against threats.  

As we embrace the shift towards exposure management, it’s critical to remember that exposure identification is not the end game; it’s the starting point. True cyber security leadership is demonstrated by the ability to not just identify but also to remediate and to do so in a way that supports business continuity. Veriti stands at the forefront of this movement, providing solutions that protect, perform, and persist in the face of ever-evolving threats. With Veriti, threat exposure management is not just managed; it’s mastered. 

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*** This is a Security Bloggers Network syndicated blog from VERITI authored by Michael Greenberg. Read the original post at: https://veriti.ai/blog/balancing-the-nuances-of-threat-exposure-management/